Nightmare no More
by Soser
Summary: Oneshot story based on how Siegfried regains control over his body after having been Nightmare. Siegfried's POV


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Soul Calibur, Soul Edge, or anything else: they are Namco's.

Where... Where am I? I open my eyes, but I might as well be closing them: what I see is only black. No colors, no shapes, no consistence: just black.

I try putting my hand in front of my eyes, but I notice something: there's no hand to see! Panicking, I twist my body trying to touch something, anything. But there's nothing to touch, nor there's any body to touch it with. I'm just floating in the darkness. I close my eyes (or, at least, I think I do).

I don't know how much time has passed since I 'awakened', but I've realized I lack something else: I don't know who this 'I' I'm speaking about is, nor do I remember where should I have my body or how would I recognize it.

I open my eyes and, this time, I see I'm in what has been a battlefield. There're corpses everywhere. Most of them have been brutally slaughtered and burnt to their bones. I manage, this time, to see my right arm. Eurghh... It's... Monstrous... I can't describe it further: it's just inhuman. I watch as it closes and opens it's brown claws, although I haven't commanded it to do so. I stare to the rest of my body. It's all covered in an azure armor.

My left hand is more human-like, I think. It's inside a blue metallic gauntlet, holding a very strange and big sword, which seems to be made of steel above flesh, and has an enormous closed eye on it's center. Instantly, I know I hate that sword with my whole soul but, yet, I can't help but keep holding it. It's opening it's eye and, as it does so, I am, once more, engulfed in the darkness.

Only, this time, there is someone inside the black place I am in: the same body I've been inside is now in front of me, without the sword. It's red eyes gleam in both anger and amusement. When it starts to speak, it's voice comes from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. **Enjoying the massacre you have caused, Siegfried?**

As it laughs, the battlefield reappears, and the... Monster... The Azure Knight has the sword in it's hand again. **These...** His monstrous 'hand' waves to the dead people around me, who are now getting up and moaning from the pain. **Are the ones you have killed. **Everyone stares at me, insulting and spitting me. I have no body to receive the spits, but the emotional damage is the same.

_No! I haven't killed them! I wasn't even there when they died!_ I scream in my mind, and my voice also comes from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The corpses fall again to the ground. **Ooh, but you did kill them, Siegfried.** The monstrous knight floats to me, without even walking. We are at sword fighting distance now. **It was your hand that delivered the final blow. The first too. And, not happy with that, you drained their souls to increase your own powers.** As he laughs again, he lifts the horrendous sword and blue, ethereal balls emerge from the bodies and enter the weapon.

_What are you talking about? It was you who did it! You've just drained them now!_

**And, who do you think is the one holding Soul Edge, fool?** I look down and see I have now a body for myself. I'm in silver armor... What's this? His same sword appears suddenly in my right hand (both my hands are normal). I try to let it go, to throw it; but it won't fall even when I open my hand. Is it glued? **Who do you think you've been talking to?** It's too weird. He must be tying me to the sword with magic. I can't stand this creature.

Screaming, I charge. **Who do you think you're attacking?** I don't answer: I just swing the sword (I refuse to say it's mine) above my head and deliver a powerful horizontal blow, but the monster blocks it effortless. Has he predicted how would I attack? **Where do you think you are? **I swing the sword in diagonal and it does two full vertical circles, gaining momentum. When I try to use it for a knee attack, though, the monster just blocks it again. It's frustrating.

_Who are you?_ I back a little and put the sword on my back, readying myself again. He just laughs at my question, as if I had asked something funny. **Me? Don't you remember?** He prepares himself. Oh, boy: now he's gonna be offensive too... **Come on, you know me very much, Siegfried: I'm the sum of all your nightmares incarnated in one single being...** I charge again and, while we are fighting, everything else disappears.

**I'm your worst Nightmare... **We are fighting in the back place again. Well, fighting isn't the correct word: he isn't really attacking: the only thing he does is tease me. ** But... You should call me...** I focus my strength in a vertical blow that breaks his defense, leaving him off-valanced. Using the sword's momentum, I turn it around and deliver another attack directly to his head. It hits home... Well, it doesn't really 'hit': the sword enters his body, as if he weren't there. Just as that happens, I feel myself pulled into my enemy.

**You! **As I realize we are the same... Eurgh... Thing... I see, again, the battlefield around me and the monstrous arm as my own. I am inside the Azure Knight... I am the Azure Knight... All of a sudden, I remember how I started seeking Soul Edge, just to have it's power. I remember how my personality, along with my body, started to change, influenced by the cursed sword, since the very moment I touched it. Images from Nightmare's life controlling my body assault my mind. It's... Horrible. What have I done? How could I let myself be controlled into doing such things? I hate myself.

The sword opens it's eye again, demanding more souls. _No._** Yes, you have no saying about it, human: if Soul Edge wants souls...**_ No... _**It will have them!** Our internal argument is stopped short by a soft, yet cold, woman's voice coming from behind.

"Just what have you done?" Nightmare turns around. I try not to face her, but the monster has complete control over my body. **Your body? It's mine, Siegfried; and so will be this woman's soul. **_No... Not more..._

As I watch the blonde woman before me, I realize it's Sophitia, the Greek warrior who has been trying to find and destroy Soul Edge even before I got it. She saved my live once, and I remember perfectly the stare she gave me when, last time we met, I told her I wanted to get the sword. We fought, I won and told her to go back home. **Yeah, but she didn't listen you. The fool has been always tracking me, telling me she just wanted to save me... Pathetic!** _Don't kill her!__She was right: Soul Edge has to be destroyed! _I hail her with a maniac sneer. Well, it's not me: it's him.

Both Nightmare and Sophitia prepare to fight. She's got a sorrowful stare on her face: she knows I'm not myself, and she doesn't like the idea of having to put me down like the beast I've become. **I've fought her before: she's no match for me. Still... I don't want you distracting me... Goodbye, Siegfried. **_Wha-No!_ I keep screaming and fighting back his will, but my vision fades away as Sophitia blocks the first attack with her shield and I am, once more, in the dark place.

Only, this time, I don't let it be as it is: I start screaming, twisting and strengthening my will. _This is my body! Get out of here!_ The black place is no longer that dark: I start seeing blurry images of Nightmare's battle against the Greek maiden. **What are you doing! Return to your place!** _THIS is my place! Get out!_** Fine... I'll let you see... Feel... How I fest on her soul! ** In the middle of my vision field, Soul Edge's eye appears and I'm thrown into it.

I can now see and feel everything Nightmare does... From Soul Edge's point of view. Here, inside the sword, I can't fight for my body's control. I can only do one thing: wait for my chance to return to Nightmare and watch in complete horror how the battle continues.

I'm horrified to see how they fight. I try to gather up strength, but Soul Edge just drains it and uses it against Sophitia. Suddenly, a cry erupts from everywhere and I feel a bit stronger. I glance and see there's a scratch on the eye's surface: Sophitia must have been able to land a cut on Soul Edge. She is wielding Hephaestus' shield and a blue sword that catches my attention: it's just as powerful as Soul Edge is, but it isn't evil. It must be Soul Calibur.

I realize that Sophitia is in the losing side: she's full of bruises and small burns and cuts and is limping, provably because of a broken leg. Nightmare punches her strong (I hear her ribs breaking) and she falls to the ground. Her shield is above her head, in a desperate attempt to survive.

Soul Calibur has fallen seven feet away. Nightmare kicks her shield out, grabs her by her throat and smasher her body to the wall. She remains there, unable to move or fall. Now the monster lifts the sword, which closes it's wounded eye in previous delight. It's now or never: I force myself into the body that the damned sword took away from me. **"You again!"** This time, our conversation is out loud and Sophitia watches us, puzzled. _"I've told you Nightmare! GET OUT OF ME!"_

We begin to fight for control over the body and Soul Edge rejects it, throwing itself to the air. Accidentally, it falls by Soul Calibur. We run in the same direction.

When we reach the swords, the left arm takes Soul Calibur, while the right one goes to find Soul Edge. **"Leave that sword, fool. The one we both want is Soul Edge!"** He tries to grab it, but Soul Edge rejects Calibur, sending electricity through our body. Nightmare's will collapses because of his puzzlement about being rejected twice.

I don't think: there's no time. I stab Soul Calibur down into the cursed blade. **"NO!"** A flash engulfs me as Soul Edge's effects on me exit my body and the blue armor is discarded to the ground. I'm now panting on the ground, fully human, clad in silver armor.

"Siegfried?" Sophitia calls me from behind before blacking out. _"I'm back..."_ I remember what I've done. Sure, it was Nightmare, but... It was still my fault. I've got no right to live... Just what am I thinking? Do I have right to die? Just like this? Without even righting what I've done wrong or, at least, what I can righten now? No. I've got to redeem myself. I've got to make sure this never happens again. Only then will I be able to even think about dying. I've got to find a way to destroy Sou Edge once and for all...

_"But, first..." _I take both swords as they are now: each one neutralizes the other. I walk over Sophitia's unconscious form and, gently, put her over my body. _"You've got to return with your family."_

-The End-

... And this is how ends SCII and begins SCIII. Anyway, I hope you like it.

Eeeeh... A review or two would be very appreciated... May I have some? Please...


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